A good opening post should have a topic or subject
line that describes what the thread will be about. It should also have a clear description of the question or problem that needs an answer. It should say what you have tried, if anything. It should provide the basic information that is necessary to solve the problem.
Here is a fairly good example of a good Opening Post from a recent thread, by a recent addition to our online community:
Subject Line:The subject line says exactly what the problem is...
Body of Post
Notice, he says right off what kind of boat it is, even which keel it has...
He describes when he noticed the problem, and what the problem appears to be. He mentions that the problem is new, and references a previous thread of his... he'd get more points if he had actually linked to the thread in his post.
He says what he did to find out more about his problem.
And what he thinks the problem is...
Then he asks his questions...
Fairly clear, concise and with all the information you need to give appropriate advice.
Contrast that with the following post:
Subject Line:
Subject line is a bit vague... isn't it....
Body of Post
Now the body of the post says his plans, and his fears...and asks a good question... but some information we need is missing. He doesn't say where he is located.
Exactly how are we to suggest an inland lake for him to try out, if we don't know where he is? Overall, this isn't as bad as some opening posts...but if he said where he lived, it would be really easy to answer his question pretty well. From his UP reference, I could guess he is from Michigan, but he might have just gone to school there, and lives in Oklahoma...
Now here's a subject line that is a bit less vague...but could have been so much better:
Subject Line:
Subject line is a bit vague...
Body of Post
He says what his problem is, and what information he's looking for. In his first sentence he says Ft. Lauderdale.
Would it have killed him to put Ft. Lauderdale in the Subject Line???
If you're looking for help... please, make it as easy as possible for people to help you. These two aren't even close to being winners for the worst opening post...
ential!
